Bravo Adds a Few Shows of Its Own

New York— New reality series and specials — and the premiere of at least one original movie — are on tap for NBC-owned Bravo for the 2003-04 season.

In his first upfront presentation since Bravo was bought by General Electric Co.-owned NBC last year, Bravo president Jeff Gaspin also discussed a planned July launch of an HDTV version of the 70-million-subscriber cable service.

He vowed that Bravo's schedule would not become heavily populated with repurposed NBC fare, but said the channel should benefit from having its shows promoted by the broadcaster.

Bravo already has selectively shown some NBC series deemed to be a good fit with the cable network's format— notably Kingpinand the cop drama Boomtown. Bravo's Kingpin airing included scenes featuring objectionable language, nudity and violence that the NBC version deleted.

Among new series slated for Bravo is the July premiere of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, in which five gay men remake the living space and fashion sense of one straight guy.

In 2004, the network will introduce Cirque du Soleil Variety Show, a new series derived from Bravo's popular Cirque franchise; and More Than Music, an eight-episode series that spans the effect of music on all aspects of life and history, Gaspin said.

Other original specials include The Reality of Reality, a look at the reality show phenomenon; Man, Monster and Machine, which highlights memorable, high-tech movie characters; Reggae: The Story Of Jamaican Music; The TV Revolution, chronicling the impact of television on U.S. culture; and Stage Moms.

Inside The Actor's Studio will return with 20 new episodes, including interviews with the cast of NBC comedy series Will & Grace and actor John Travolta.

Bravo will share a portion of NBC's 2004 summer Olympics coverage, although Gaspin could not say what events would air on the cable service.

He also said the network would look to premiere at least one original movie during the 2003-04 season, but would not reveal further specifics. The movie could find a second window on NBC.